Book Description 

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Game Changers series comes a merry and bright hockey romance about finding your place, finding your people and finding your way back to the one you love the most. 

For Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks.

Casey treats Landon like an old friend, even though they’ve only interacted briefly in the past. He’s endlessly charming and completely laid-back in a way that Landon absolutely can’t relate to. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone.

As roommates, Casey refuses to be defeated by Landon’s one-word answers. As friends, Landon comes to notice a few things about Casey, like his wide, easy smile and sparkling green-blue eyes. Spending the holidays together only intensifies their bromance-turned-romance. But as the new year approaches, the countdown to the end of Landon’s time in Calgary is on.

My Review 

I read this book awhile ago, but I am woefully behind with my book reviewing due to several (positive) life changes. I’ve been a fan of Reid’s books for several years, so I was excited about this book. 

Grumpy/Sunshine is one of my favorite romance tropes, and this book is a textbook example of that pairing. Landon appears stoic, but under the surface, he’s a big old ball of anxiety… and then there’s Casey, who is the polar opposite of that: hyperactive and overly friendly. Casey is so friendly that he offers to let Landon live with him, and Landon is so pessimistic about his prospects as a professional hockey player, that he accepts the offer because he assumes he’ll be sent back down to the minor league. 

I liked this book for several reasons. First of all, Reid has departed from the Game Changers series. As much as we love Ilya Rozanov (one of the protagonists of Heated Rivalry), he can’t skate into every single book like the chaos gremlin that is for all eternity. I missed having an Ilya cameo, but it was a nice change of pace to have completely new characters. 

On that note, this book was just so FUN to read. I loved the banter and I loved all the Costco references, including the trip to that bastion of bulk shopping. 

Landon and Casey have such great chemistry. Having healthy dynamics is one of the things I expect from the romance novels I read, and I loved the way that Casey was so patient and kind to Landon, who is much less experienced. 

I would absolutely recommend Time to Shine. This is a standalone, so you don’t have to read any of Reid’s other books before this one. This book is full of feelings, banter, and yes, some hockey too. I am looking forward to reading more from Reid in the future.  

I received a digital ARC of this book from Carina Press/NetGalley